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Meat and Dairy two of my personal favorite foods. Get the correct types of meat and dairy and they can be a great part of your diet. Correct fats, nutrients and minerals can be found in wholesome raised meat and dairy products.
Meat
Beef
For many years the meat industry has been singing the praises about how great a good grainfed beef steak can be. But from a health stand point nothing could be farther from the truth. When a cow, which should eat grass is fed grain many issues develop quickly in the animal. With cattle in feedlots eating upwards of 25 pounds of corn-based feed each day their digestive system is always fighting to function properly. Issues such as ph imbalance to ecoli over-growths cause many health issues with the cattle.
Antibiotics are mixed with the feed to fight many of the illnesses that inevitably happen when the cattle is fed a grain based diet. Over 50% of the U.S. usage of antibiotics are consumed by the beef and cow-based dairy industry yearly. Cattle eating grass take about 4 to 5 years to reach size for harvest, but in a feedlot this process takes only about 14 to 16 months. Cattle on a grain diet in a feedlot never usually live no longer than 20 months because of health issues. Quality is left in the dust of the feedlot.
A grainfed sirloin is marbled with fat and on the average contains twice as much fat as grassfed sirloin. We see this lower fat displayed in our ground-beef. I am sure you are familiar with all the fat you pour off when cooking up 80/20 ground-beef. Often when we cook grassfed ground-beef there will be so little fat that it is not worth the trouble to pour it off. This translates into money saved, with grassfed beef you are getting more meat pound for pound over grainfed beef, however, the USDA continues to grade beef in a way that rewards marbling with intra-muscular fat.
Omega-3s are found naturally in grassfed beef, along with minerals and vitamins. When cattle are taken off a grass diet and introduced into the feedlot grainfed diet to fatten them up, the omega-3s levels start to fall quickly, depending on the length of time in the feedlot they can be 15-50% less than grassfed beef. I would like to mention that grassfed beef may taste different when compared to grainfed beef. Different grasses, hays, and times of the year will sometimes have an affect on the taste of the beef, overall most people enjoy the difference and comment that this adds interest to the meal. We have eaten grassfed beef for year and have never taken issue with the taste of the beef. A better quality of meat butcher is usually employed by the grassfed cattle farmer as most grassfed beef comes from smaller local farms.
Visit your local farmers market to find a local supplier of grass fed beef products. It is great to support local farms, they are your neighbors so to speak.
Chicken
Organic free range chicken many cost more but you are avoiding the issue of chicken fed Genetically Modified (GM) feed. We are not completely sure what long term health problems will develop from eating GM fed animals, but with many studies showing issues with the animals health it is best to stay clear.
Pork
At Cooking God’s Way we stay away from pork products. Pigs store their toxins in their meat and have a tendency to be highly toxic which is why we choose to not eat pork. I would suggest that if you are interested in finding out more to do some research and make your a choice you are happy with.
Fish & Seafood
Fish can be a great part of ones diet to add variety while providing a great source of omega oils. Fish oil is also an excellent anti-inflammatory. There are some issues to be aware of when thinking of bringing home fish or seafood.
What do lobster, shrimp, and shellfish have in common? They are either scavengers or bottom feeders. Yup just ask a scuba diver what they call a lobster and you will not want them anymore. If you don’t know I will tell you, we call them sea cockroaches, they look just like giant cockroaches. These scavengers will eat anything dead, diseased or dieing. Bottom feeders fall in the same class, they eat everything that falls from above and heavy metals sinks.
There are many articles that list the following: “Warning! Pregnant and nursing women, women who may become pregnant, and young children should not eat the following fish: swordfish, shark, king mackerel, tilefish. They should also limit their consumption of other fish, including fresh or frozen tuna.” This is because older fish have more time to become saturated with heavy metal.
Farm Raised Fish
Fish raised in captive conditions are often tainted with PCBs, pollutants, and antibiotics. We will not even get into the possible genetic modifications from eating GM food. Farm raised fish are raised in crowed conditions, causing high stress on the fish. Disease runs easily across the fish as they are in such tight living conditions and the use of antibiotics becomes necessary to preserve the stock. To illustrate just one of the issues with a fish farm let me draw this picture for you. A fish at the top of the pond passes its waste and this waste sinks toward the bottom, but before it gets far another fish eats it. This fish then absorbs the poisons the first fish just passed. Now as the fish move around the ones on the top move to the middle and become the eaters of the falling waste. I think you see the cycle that develops.
Best Fish To Eat – Wild caught are the keywords you are looking for when purchasing fish. Focus on fish that are cold deep water varieties as these tend to have less issues with heavy metal contamination. This means you want fish that are found in the Pacific Ocean with Alaskan varieties being better. Wild caught Alaskan Salmon are you best choice for a fish high in Omega oils. Cod, Halibut, Pacific Sardines (wild caught), Flounder, Haddock, Mahi-mahi and Whitefish are a few of the lower in mercury. With the pollution of our seas continuing year after year we may see fish slowly disappear from our diets.
Dairy
Keep in mind that many of the same issues mentioned above with grain fed beef apply to grain fed dairy cows. Bovine Growth Hormone (rBGH) which causes a normal milk cow to produce 15-20% more milk is used in over 17% of the dairy cows. Studies have shown an alarming rise in the number of deformed calves and dramatic increases in mastitis, which causes infections in the cows utter releasing blood and puss into the milk. Farmers then apply antibiotics to fight illnesses created. The FDA relies on pasteurization to kill off bacteria, hormones and antibiotics in milk. The list of countries that have banned the use of rBGH grows yearly; Canada, Japan, European Union, and Australia. The United States still leads the way as the largest consumer of rBGH in the world.
We love raw milk because it is high in pro-biotics, fats, enzymes, and vitamins that are stripped out of pasteurized milk. If you do plan to drink raw milk do your homework when it comes to the dairy. They are not all created equal. I know of some raw milk local dairy’s that feed their cows grain and old bake goods. So use caution when you find raw milk that is much cheaper than others in the area. To learn more about raw milk see the articles, Raw Milk Truths Revealed and Raw Milk – 8 Reasons It Is “The Perfect Food”.
Be sure to get plain whole milk yogurt with live cultures with no added sugar. Only yogurt that says live and active cultures contain pro-biotics. Remember pro-biotic means “for life,” while anti-biotic means “against life,” that gives a whole different view of things. Try to get yogurt that has a few ingredients as possible. Don’t be concerned about it if it contains fat. This is good fat that is needed by your body. Some brands we get around here are White Mountain and Brown Cow plain cream top. If you can get organic do get it.
Organic cheese would be the best to purchase after raw milk cheese, which is much harder to find not to mention expensive. Just want to mention that cheese food is not cheese, it is made from oils, while cheese is made from milk.
Don’t forget to leave a comment below. Share how you are incorporating these foods into your diet.
I already don’t eat pork and now I’m wanting to cut out dairy to help me with sinus problems
I am confused about liver. I love liver but it seems to me that it is toxic just like pork even though it is loaded with nutrients. Please, help me clarify this. And what kind of liver is better? Like turkey liver for example?
It is a common misconception that liver is full of toxins, but this is not true. While the liver does neutralize toxins, it does not store them. And you are right that liver is packed with nutrients such as – vitamins A, D, E, K, B12 and folic acid, and minerals such as copper and iron. The plus that these nutrients provide is that they give the body with some of the tools it needs to get rid of toxins.
It is important to eat liver from pasture-raised animals. Beef or chicken liver are goods choices.
Here is a quick recipe for delicious beef liver:
Great served with some Lacto-fermented Ketchup! Mmmmmm!!!
I looked at my cheese. I saw it was natural because it was not processed kind of cheese. But boy I saw some ingredients like corn starch etc. So I guess that so-called ok cheese is not natural.
It is best not to buy pre-shredded cheese as they always contain some sort of added ingredients to prevent the cheese from clumping together. Instead buy a block of cheese and grate it your self. This can be done by hand or like I do, use the shredding disc of my food processor… it makes it super easy and fast too. This way I avoid those other nasty ingredients.
I have looked for the whole milk yogurt and am having a difficult time finding it. If I’m able to get a non-fat organic plain yogurt, is it still a good option?
For optimum health (and taste benefit), I would look at making your own yogurt. You can use the non-fat plain yogurt as a starter to make your first batch. The yogurt is very easy to make and can be made with Whole (Full-Fat) Milk, either Raw or Organic… just use the best you can find.
The recipe for homemade yogurt can be found here: Homemade Yogurt “The Easy Way”
And if you have any questions about the process, please write me on the contact form.
What are your thoughts on kefir? I make kefir with kefir grains and raw milk and I have found that my body likes kefir better than raw milk.
We drink homemade kefir regularly. I personally cannot tell which my body likes better, the raw milk or the kefir made from it. But I do know that my body enjoys them both. I feel great after my kefir smoothie in the morning. My kids really enjoy the kefir smoothies as well.
Kefir, the homemade kind, really is an important fermented food. I believe that just about everyone can benefit from consuming it on a regular basis.
Have you ever heard of eating for your blood type? I have a friend who is married and she told me that if her husband doesn’t eat meat at his meals that he doesn’t feel well and also, he doesn’t like bread! I thought that was the weirdest thing I had ever heard, who doesn’t like bread?
Anyways I thought this was interesting 🙂
Must have missed this one, excuse me for being late. Yes, I know quite a few people that don’t like bread. I used to love it, but now it is something for every blue moon. As you move your body off sugar and grains you will find that the taste for these items will become less. In America we put way too much value on grains in the diet. – Jeff
love what you wrote about the pig part!
I raise my own Meat and working on the dairy part.
Marnita
I used to make my yogurt by heating it to 180 degrees and it was pointed out to me that heating the raw milk to that temp destroys all the enzymes and so now I make a 110 degree version (I culture in a insulated cooler with hot water for 12 hours) in which I add some powdered goat milk to make it a bit thicker…this makes a thinner version which I strain through cheesecloth and use the whey for my dog or other culturing. What are your thoughts on this?? I love using raw milk and want to gain all the benefits!
Yes, heating the raw milk to 180F will destroy some of the enzymes. But if you do not heat the raw milk to 180F your yogurt culture will fight against the natural bacteria in the raw milk, not allowing the yogurt to culture properly. You will end up with runny milk, not a smooth creamy spoon-able yogurt. I know this from experience. So though you are indeed destroying some enzymes, your end yogurt will be full of millions of “live” probiotics…those good bacteria that are so beneficial to good health.
As far as the dried milk powder, I would not recommend it. According the Sally Fallon — “Commercial dehydration methods oxidize cholesterol in powdered milk, rendering it harmful to the arteries. High temperature drying also creates large quantities of nitrate compounds, which are potent carcinogens.”
And if you are looking for a non-heat method of fermented dairy, you may want to try Kefir. It’s a delicious “drinkable” fermented dairy product that is even more beneficial to your gut health than yogurt, as it is a symbiotic relationship of “good” yeasts along with beneficial bacteria that can colonize the digestive tract.